Education
BY HANNAH NORTON
Uncertified teacher rates on the rise
Zooming in
The Texas Classroom Teachers Association surveyed 1,460 of its members about certification and student outcomes. Members said the rise of uncertified teachers “is detrimental to student learning, safety and teacher morale,” said Holly Eaton, the association’s director of professional development and advocacy. “You need as much foundational knowledge as you can get before stepping into a classroom,” she said. Panelists also urged lawmakers to ensure parents know when students are taught by uncertified teachers. About one-third of Texas’ 1,207 districts opt out of notifying parents, said Jim Van Overschelde, associate professor of curriculum and instruction at Texas State University.
number that nearly tripled to 15,300 during the 2022-23 school year. “Uncertified teachers have significantly lower retention rates than teachers from other certification [programs],” Kelvey Oeser, the TEA’s deputy commissioner of educator support, told Texas House lawmakers Aug. 13. “After five years, the average retention rate for uncertified teachers is only 39%.” Becoming certified is expensive and time- consuming, panels of educators and researchers said during a House Public Education Committee hearing. They encouraged lawmakers to raise teacher salaries and devote more resources to teacher retention.
Texas school districts are employing more teachers than ever before, Texas Education Agency officials said, as the percentage of educators without a teaching certificate rises. Of the 49,400 teachers hired in Texas during the 2023-24 school year, over 17,000 of them were unlicensed, according to TEA data. Texas teachers can get certified by the State Board of Educator Certification, although experts say there are not strong enough incentives for all teachers to complete certification programs. Meanwhile, many school districts are turning to uncertified teachers to combat staffing shortages and reduce class sizes. School districts hired about 5,500 uncertified teachers during the 2019-20 school year, a
New hires by certification, 2013-2024 The rate of uncertified teachers in public schools has grown significantly in recent years, with districts hiring nearly three times as many uncertified teachers for the 2022-23 school year than the 2019-20 school year.
More details
Uncertified teachers
Total new hires (approximate)
40K
Texas must invest in its teachers, which starts with supporting those who want to enter and remain in the profession, panelists said. “What we’re hearing in terms of why [teachers are] leaving: the key word that’s popping up is ‘overwhelmed,’” said Laura Torres, an education research director at the University of Texas at Austin. “Many of them are just simply overwhelmed with the amount of responsibilities that are being put on them.”
30K
20K
10K
0
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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